1. Fund a deferred maintenance account 2. Increase your mission giving. 3. Subsidize mission trips among your members. 4. Support a church plant. 5. Start a new ministry. 6. Explore staff need and staff pay. 7. Consider building improvements. 8. Begin a fund for Insurance/Self-insurance.

Attractional versus Attractive

1. Make sure your property is clean and prepared. You get one opportunity to make a first impression.

2. Build a sense of expectancy. Talk about how significant the day is. We are celebrating a risen Savior! We should expect the power of the resurrection to overwhelm.

3. Train your church to greet guests, especially by inviting them to sit with them.

4. Greet people in the parking lot, you'll be amazed at the positive effect this can have.

5. Determine how you will plan to get together guest cards that day. This is a day I would encourage everyone to get a registration card and consider offering a donation as an incentive to fill it out. For instance, for each new guest who fills out the registration card, the church will give $10 to our "local mission" or Annie Armstrong…. People are glad to know they are helping a cause.

6. Plan your gospel presentation…as pastors, we sometimes become sloppy, but think about who your guests might be, make sure you free yourself from too much "religious speak."

7. Involve kids. I always loved having children in the service, and I often did a children's message or had one of our children's workers do an object lesson.

Ask some hard questions:

1. Am I still growing as a Christian leader? 2. Do I have a dream/vision I can share? 3. Am I developing others? 4. Do others have a voice?

Trent and Alan discuss finding candidates for pastoral ministry and church staff. 

1. Assess your space constantly. 2. Look for where you are not maximizing your space. 3. Chairs over pews... 4. Creative possibilities for extra space....  - in the 70's churches had classes meeting in old buses outside the building 5. Plan Multiple services/ classes  -change everyone's schedule

Communication 1. Communicate a "no ownership of spaces" mindset 2. Communicate the benefits of growth. 3. Honor the sacrifices of people and empathize with their pain.

The diagram is for personal use; any professional or publication use requires proper attribution.

Trust Axis Diagram

From Gary McIntosh in *The 10 Key Roles of a Pastor*

1. Look at every person as a potential team member 2. Encourage people to serve the Lord on the basis of their love for Him. 3. Don't downplay the role; magnify it. 4. Don't recruit in the hallway. (Make an appointment) 5. Introduce potential recruits to those already in the same ministry.     - in a small church, you might have to go outside your church 6. Never expect an immediate answer

7. Follow Up 8. Train Them

A laid-back, fun episode

1. Asking more impactful Questions
2. Listening to others more clearly
3. Telling stories more compellingly
4. Employing empathy sincerely
5. Preaching with connectivity

Get The Wounded Pastor book

Website

• Value all people highly. Jesus does.  
• Open a/partner with local food pantries to help provide basic needs.  
• Be uncompromising in our gospel witness.  
• Consider teaching essential work skills and offering counseling services to individuals.  
• Establish clear guidelines to determine how your church can effectively meet the needs of its members.  
• Partner with other churches in meeting needs.  
• Acknowledge that we may be taken advantage of by some people, but our obedience is not bound by another’s response.  
• Don’t grow weary in doing good.

• I see something that needs to change
• I know where we need to change
• I think about the timing of the change
• I recognize why this change will be hard
• I enlist people who share my heart
• I address the "elephants in the room" lovingly but firmly
• I acknowledge failure is an option, but so is success.
• I stay the course long enough to gain a clear picture of the results

See John Kotter

1. Have an open and transparent perspective on church finances
2. Avoid apologizing for talking about the subject
3. Preach and teach on the subject naturally
   1. When it's in the text
   2. When it's a good illustration
   3. When there's a specific need
4. Accept responsibility for being the primary spokesman for your church's finances.
5. Share stories of God's faithfulness
6. Keep numbers in front of people
7. Talk about estate planning
8. Be faithful in your own stewardship

1. Before you ever preach: Spend significant time praying and asking what God wants his people to do.

2. The Response begins before the invitation time.

• Ask people to start responding long before you actually give the invitation.

3. Don't be too quick - you can take your time  

• Many pastors through in a phrase or 2.  Some end by saying that's all I have

4. Let the scripture and the lesson lead to the invitation

• a review or summary from the text

5. Lead in naturally - don't stop and start
6. Make it personal
7. Be Clear: Give exact steps - tell your church how they should respond.

• Be Direct - ask them to take a specific action
• Invite them to the community
• Give everyone some way to respond - not just a first-time decision to follow Jesus.

• No one here is judging you - Satan wants people to believe that everyone is judging them - this is a lie.  So remind folks that everyone else is cheering them on.

An Example (Michael Gabbert)

• Take them to a conference
• A concert
• A nice dinner

• • resources
  • training events

• • spiritual gifts inventory
  • personality inventories

• • shows the church that the ministry they are doing is important
  • encourages the volunteer
  • encourages others to volunteer

• • Don't say "This is easy."
  • It won't take much time
  • You won't have to do much

• • how to cultivate interaction
  • how to handle difficult people or situations

• • teacher
  • community
  • hospitality

1. Recognize that you have widows and /or orphans in your church and community. Single Moms (and single dads)
2. Caring For Widows
   1. Be intentional. Assign specific people to serve specific widows. Call them. Send cards. Help them with home and auto repairs. Visit and take meals. Give them a hug. Hold their hand.
   2. Widow and widower banquets
3. Caring for Orphans
   1. Encourage church members to become foster parents. (Example: Amy in Yuma asked God for a sign) Support foster families
      1. How many children in America need foster homes?
   2. Support Christian children's homes.
      1. Don't just assume that the government is going to take care of orphans. Volunteer.
         1. Raise funds.
   3. Consider mentoring programs
      1. Example: The Buzzards (little brothers). Pair up a man with an orphan boy to teach them what a dad would teach.
      2. Encourage mentoring Programs - Fathers in the Field
   4. after-school tutoring projects
4. Single moms are another area of need
   1. physical, emotional, and financial burden
      1. car repairs
      2. school supplies
      3. care groups

• • Discipleship needs a consistent process.
    • • What is your plan?  90 percent of pastors said they had no plan for discipleship
      • Survival kit
      • New city catechism
      • Disciplemakingstages.com
      • The Lost Art of Disciplemaking by Leroy Elms
  • Discipleship needs evaluation
    • • We have to have a way of measuring progress.
  • Discipleship needs to be reproductive
    • • Can we move more and more people into it?

• The world's systems don't work
• Softening of the heart
• Changing the landscape of the church
• An opportunity

How we interact...

1. Sincerity - our actions should represent
2. Simplicity - our operations and systems
3. Significant - our purpose
4. Small - intimacy matters

Link to Joe McKeever's 2015 Article

1. Websites versus social media?
2. To app or not to app?
3. To go sermon snippets or full length?
4. To AI or not to AI?
5. Hard lines or Cell phones?
   1. 911 service requires a hard line for accurate location services

• Make room for divine interruptions
• There are times when multi-tasking is not appropriate!!!!

1. Deacons
   1. more than an oversight board
2. Sunday School Teachers
   1. lack of care
   2. lack of interaction
   3. lack of outreach
3. Children's and Student Ministry leaders
   1. generational changes
   2. new challenges
4. Safety teams
   1. not just about getting to "carry" at church
5. Finance committees
   1. could pick several specific committees, but this one is greatly needed

George Hunter's "Grand Strategy" (1979) suggests:

1. Those who visit your church

2. Those who desire membership in your church

3. Those who have recently lost faith 

4. Those among whom churches or religious movements are growing

5. Those of the same homogeneous unit as your membership

6. Those with conscious needs your ministry can address

7. Those who are in transition

Please check out the Succesion Sherpa here

Get Will's book Embracing Succession here

1. Start with a conversation  -

• Make sure to have a line of communication with family members 
• Have those with limitations - take you on a tour of your church

2. Work on access - make your buildings accessible

• all on one level
• Ramps and elevators - legal issues in new buildings
• playgrounds
• bathrooms
• wide doors
• Certain paint colors and media issues

• We have started with children - making it easy for them to participate in musicals 
• Camp - whole nutha animal - Falls creek
• Adults - its harder to get them involved - but ask and don't give up.

1. Relationship strengthening
2. Leveraging opportunities
3. Hard and soft resets
4. Personal pauses and planning
5. Short-term projects

1. Preach and teach on calling
2. Give opportunities to allow people to respond to a call
3. Speak well of your calling
4. Listen and Observe and Ask
   1. Look for those who are leading and others are listening to
   2. Listen to those who are wanting to volunteer for ministry
5. Offer opportunities for exploration
6. Have a process for training
7. Take them with you on ministry visits
8. Keep communication lines open

1. Does it work?
2. Is it too centralized in one place?
   1. a person/pastor
   2. a deacon team or board
3. Does it represent multiple segments of your church community?
4. Can it accommodate growth?

1. Get examples from effective churches
2. Train up and empower others
   1. Allow for as many decisions to be made at the lowest level possible
3. Evaluate your structure often
4. Continually look for new leaders
5. Get outside help.

1. You can't give away what you don't own. As a leader/pastor you must be a person of prayer!
2. Teach and preach on prayer often
3. Offer a guided prayer time each week
4. Offer a church-wide 40 day prayer/fasting event event
5. Offer a single, dedicated prayer service
6. Add a prayer wall
7. Use a tool to encourage prayer
   1. a church had ladies make quits and people tied strings on the quilt when they payed for the person.
   2. Give men especially a reason to pray for their kids/wife - give them a card to stick on their car mirror or send a text to encourage them to pray now.
   3. Set a specific time to pray each day - based on a scripture
8. Make prayer central in the worship service.

1. Thinking your position gives you the right to make change 2. Refusing to gather input from multiple perspectives 3. Falsely assuming everyone is or should be an an early adopter of change 4. Making the wrong changes 5. Moving too fast or to slow 6. Giving up too soon 7. Praying too little

1. Think about its frequency strategically
2. Think about its placement in the service
3. Think broadly in how you structure it.
   1. passive - people receive the elements
   2. active - people must perform an action to receive elements
   3. purpose - ties it to a larger focus (remembering the cost of forgiveness, forgiving others, self-examination...)
4. Think about informal opportunities for communion
5. Think about asking others for their ideas for sharing communion

1. take a look at your yearly stats for the last 5 to 10 years. 
   1. Look for attendance trends
   2. Look for baptism trends
   3. Look for Missions giving and involvement trends
2. Ask the hard questions
   1. Are we currently doing or planning to do a gospel outreach effort in our local community?
   2. Are we currently doing or planning to do a gospel outreach effort in our state?
   3. Are we currently doing or planning to do a gospel outreach effort in our nation or region?
   4. Are we currently doing or planning to do a gospel outreach effort in our world?
3. Missions doesn't equal projects - Missions always equals sharing the gospel
4. Size doesn't matter
   1. Church size doesn't give us an excuse
   2. Its ok to start with a small group going and sharing.
5. Going to one area usually overflows to other areas

1. more people care about your ministry than you realize
2. more people know about your churches  strengths and its problems than you would believe
3. the church down the street has just as many issues as your church does
4. your congregations has something to offer God's Kingdom.
5. God has a purpose and plan for you right now

1. Does it take away from the family dynamic?
2. Does it undercut the corporate gathering?
3. Are they taking away from evangelism?
4. Are they creating opportunities for outreach and service?
5. Are they a breeding ground for gossip?
6. Do they complement one another?
7. Do they have a strategic plan and purpose?

Enjoy our talk with Riley Prather a church planter/pastor from Conneticut. He also works with the SEND Network of the SBC

1. We get tunnel vision and miss the bigger picture
2. We get fixated on one style and one method
3. We plan for only our voice to be heard
4. We forget the importance of flexibility
5. We preach at issues.

1. We are an example to our church in all parts of our lives.
2. Any questions about handling money ethically can stop giving and crush a ministry.
3. We can't trust both God and money - every day its a choice
4. Money is a high anxiety topic
5. We feel inadequate because we weren’t trained to deal with it.
6. People’s giving pays our salary, so we feel defensive.
7. Other people think they know more than we do (and sometimes they do).

1. Pastor or wife should not be the ones who count and deposit money given
2. Ministry leaders and their spouses should be in constant communication about their finances - no hiding - transparency
3. Do your best to be debt free - this will help you keep the temptation to get more in control.  When you have less pressure to pay bills, you have less temptation to get money.
4. Do your best to NOT know who gives what
5. Don't have people hand you money - if they try to- refer them to someone else.
6. Get an accountant who knows ministry taxes
7. Always check and double check on investment counselors

1. Are you prepared for kids
   1. pray for families
   2. a compelling place for kids
   3. safe and clean
      1. background checks, policies and procedures
   4. technology
2. Is your service family friendly
   1. "We want kids, but we don't want to adapt our service."
   2. make them feel wanted
   3. allow more kids into your service
   4. let kids participate
3. Embrace families when they visit and get to know their friends
   1. adopt families who visit
   2. go to their school and sporting events
   3. relationships matter
4. Create partnership opportunities with like-minded churches with more resources.
   1. not a competition
   2. many larger churches would like to help smaller churches, but don't know how.
5. Don't take it personally when families don't stick.
   1. family dynamics can leave us feeling discouraged.
   2. or grandparents - now they follow their grandkids

Routines are important 1. Build strong habits 2. Help us work efficiently 3. Fits in with our personalities 4. Gives us a sense of control

Rigidity means we cannot flex our routine 1. When we can't meet needs of our church, because of our insistence on our schedule 2. When an change in our routine ruins our day. 3. Can lead to behavioral issues such as depression, obsessive compulsion, anxiety...

Some suggestions: - Think of your schedule in blocks or sections that have built in flexibility - Be prepared for interruptions - Trust God with your schedule - Get input from people close to you

• How to walk with people
• How to encourage growth in people

• How to view conflict positively
• How to engage properly
• When to get outside help

• How to see things with fresh eyes
• How to evaluate objectively

• How to listen
• How to help others find solutions

Thank you for helping us get to 10,000 downloads!

Catch the article from Mark Dance we interacted with today1

Keeney is the pastor of FBC Crockett, TX and consultant on prayer with the Southern Baptists of Texas.

You can learn more and order his new book Prayer Powered Pulpit here

1. Live too far away
2. Grown kids have other family

1. Read the Christmas story
2. Celebrating advent
3. Adopting a family in need
4. Occ shoeboxes
5. Serve at a community Christmas dinner
6. Missions offering
7. Our tradition of opening presents early because we would be traveling

1. Reaching kids and reaching students are different
   1. Gen Z & alphas
2. Activity-based ministry is out
3. Meaningfulness and sincerity
   1. why they matter
   2. why their spiritual lives matter
4. Relationships still matter
   1. especially unpaid people
   2. they want to partner with you

1. Our ability to empathize
2. Our willingness to accept criticism
3. Our desire to train new leaders
4. Our capacity to live at a ministry pace
5. Our knowledge of our own strengths and weaknesses

1. because ministry is hard, and most people don't understand it.
2. because life is challenging and filled with conflict and trouble.
3. because people fail to reach their potential
4. because we cannot be everything for everyone
5. because we struggle spiritually

Want to know more?

Standing Stone Ministry

1. Recognize your people are largely more indifferent towards your denomination than you are.
2. Make sure your local identity is clear.
3. Inform but don't over-inform people about your denomination

1. Make sure your theology is clear
2. Look for ways to collaborate with like-minded churches
3. Consider future leadership needs

1. Inexpensive staff
2. Short term commitment
3. Helps a young person learn about ministry

1. Plan out the who what when why and how
   1. Who - why type of person would be best to serve with you?also how many ie 1 male or female or 2 male or 2 female
   2. What would you want them to do?  Will that be enough to keep them busy?   Be reasonable and allow for some time off and fun experiences.
   3. Set up schedule - typical is June 1 to July 30 
   4. Be prepared to explain the why to your church so that you have buy in for providing housing and other needs
   5. How will you provide their needs?  Housing, food, transportation.

1. Start by asking other area churches
2. Connect with local College Campus ministries
3. Ask your state or national denomination
4. Develop your elevator speech
   1. Why should they come to serve with you?
   2. What will they experience?
   3. What is the time frame of service?
   4. It should sound fun!
5. Develop marketing materials - fliers and other items with QR that leads to a website explaining your place of service.
6. Interview potential missionaries
7. Have them take a personality inventory
8. ask yourself "could I deal with this person daily for 2 months?"
9. Make a commitment to help them grow. - plan to have them do bible study with you and meet weekly
10. During the summer plan a couple of fun activities to take them on.
11. Send them home feeling blessed - financially, swag etc (get your church to make a big blessing bag to send with them back to school.
12. Keep in touch. Send text or cards letting them know you are praying for them in school.

Kevin has served MRBC for over twenty years. Aln once pastored the church.

1. Press the pause button

• time to think and reflect intentionally

• giving our struggles to God

• Seek to understand others

• what is healthy and what is unhealthy?

• stay the course, it may take longer than you expect

1. Shepherd
   1. servant leadership
   2. Kenneth Gangel Feeeding and Leading, Team Leadership,
   3. Henry Blackaby, Spiritual Leadership
2. Visionary
   1. visionary leadership
   2. John Maxwell
3. Coach
   1. transformational leadership
   2. Leighton Ford - Transforming Leadership
   3. Keith Webb- The COACH Model for Christian Leadership
4. Clinician
   1. authentic leadership
      1. - Aubrey Malphurs - anything, he's so good!
      2. - Jim Wilder - Rare Leadership
      3. - Scazzero - The Emotionally Healthy Leader
   2. health of self and others
   3. proponent of health
5. Strategist
   1. adaptive leadership
   2. change
   3. Tod Bolsinger - Canoeing the Mountains and more
6. Lame Duck
   1. succession planning
   2. William Vanderbloemen

1. History: People think of their church as they did at their personal points of conversion
   1. change threatens their history
   2. change threatens their structure and control
   3. grief
2. Fear: People are afraid they won't like the change
   1. not all change works out well
   2. the unknown is always risky
3. Trust: People question leadership motivation more than ever before
   1. transitions and search teams
   2. people follow their closest relationships
      1. peer pressure is both positive and negative
4. Communication: People feel like change is forced on them

1. Make history your friend, not your enemy...celebrate the past.
2. Acknowledge the emotional nature of change. Vulnerability helps.
3. Let trustworthiness and faithfulness become your personal ambition.
4. Over-communicate on a two-way street. Allow for feedback to your communication.

Trent and Alan are Associational Mission strategists...we answer the question what it is we do in that role.

• Don't be afraid to table an item to get more info or to meet privately

• Don't be afraid to turn your business meeting into a prayer meeting.

1. is marketing wrong in church life?
2. if we choose to market our church - how can we do it well?

1. We should have a sense of excitement and passion about our ministry and our church.
2. Coaching is a great picture of ministry roles and responsibilities.
3. Some weeks are pretty easy, some weeks are pretty tough.
4. Expect the unexpected upset.
5. Your whole church lives in a transfer portal world.
6. People are watching!
7. Don't forget you are surrounded by excited fans...clouds of witnesses

1. Leading Change
   1. when the process is slower than it should be
   2. when resistance is high
2. Leading People
   1. when lay leaders move at a slower pace
   2. when disciples grow more slowly then we expect
3. Leading ourselves
   1. when we recognize our shortcomings more than our strengths
   2. when we feel defeated

1. In leadership meetings
2. In business meetings
3. In our homes

1. recognize the signs of impatience in your life and ministry
   1. anxiety, anger, frustration, withdrawl...
2. expect things to move more slowly then they should
   1. allow people to get their minds around an issue
   2. allow others to have their input
   3. press the pause button...esp in business meetings
3. give it over
   1. easy to say, hard to do
   2. releasing our impatience in prayer is worthwhile

1. Take a vacation
   1. Get outa dodge - sometimes the only way you can actually have a vacation is to literally get away.
   2. At least 3 days
   3. Catch up time with your family.   There is no such thing as quality time - only quantity time.
2. Mental vacation-
   1. Invite another preacher or speaker to come to your church for a couple of Sundays.
   2. Missionaries or retired missionaries
   3. Convention staff
   4. Let your other staff speak
   5. give a young person a chance to grow
3. Do a retreat to regather your thoughts and plan
   1. Find a local camp that will let you stay for free
   2. Go to a bed and breakfast
4. Create a "hard stop" in your ministry between summer and fall activities.
   1. creates a natural break
   2. establishes a new launching point.

• background checks
• interviews
• ongoing training

• to keep the congregation as safe as possible from external and internal dangers or threats.

Read the Tithely Article Here:

1. We learn the depth of our our faith life.
   1. prayer
   2. trust
2. We learn perseverance
3. We learn something about our leadership style
4. We learn something about relationships
5. We learn something to apply in the future
6. We learn something we can share with another
7. We learn something about timing

Episode 279: Should Your Church Have a Succession Plan

What is a succession plan?

Is a succession plan possible in a small church?

Should a church have a succession plan for staff?

What are important things to consider?

What are steps we should take?

1. That bigger is always better
2. That addition beats multiplication
3. That leadership equals power
4. That present success guarantees future success
5. That weaknesses are always exploited
6. That busyness equals productivity
7. That no one can do it as good as I can

Episode: Ranger Danger

VBS is not an end but a beginning With the Attenders 1. You should have family information  2. Follow Up with kids who make decisions  3. Follow up with unchurched families  1. By sending a thank you  2. By a phone call  3. With another invitation  4. A plan to follow up later

With the Workers 1. Honest feedback is critical 2. What was successful? 3. What could have been better? 4. Where were resources well-used? 5. Where were resources wasted?

With the Church 1. Thank people publicly for supporting VBS 2. Share stories that show its impact

The Lifeway Research Article from 2022

• David- "you are that man"

1. Our pride has taken us on a ride.
2. We stopped yearning for learning.
3. We preach but we don't do outreach.
4. We want to lead but we don't want to bleed.
5. Our passion isn't in fashion.

1. Self-aware - you have to know
   1. your personality
      1. social vs not social...
   2. your giftedness and skills
      1. administrative leader - management
      2. visionary leader
      3. not a strong leader...
   3. interests
      1. attending certain events...
2. Necessity
   1. does it have to be me?
   2. does someone have the skill set?
   3. can someone else learn the skills?
3. You can only survive this way for a time.
   1. spend a majority of your time in your areas of strength

1. What is your ministry and personal purpose?
   1. are you lacking something?
   2. are you looking to something?
2. What is the support level of your family and church?
3. What will the impact be on your family and church?
4. How will you account for the financial impact?
5. Where will you choose?
   1. theological alignment versus diversity
   2. location
   3. program - I called and asked questions
6. Bachelor's
7. Master's level -
   1. basic skills in church and  ministry
   2. or ThM - more academic degree, less on practical skills
8. DMin -
   1. practical advanced degree to hone specific ministry skills
   2. project in ministry
9. PhD -
   1. a research based degree
   2. Dissertation
10. other options
    1. conferences
    2. internships
    3. mentorships
    4. certifications
11. Pray aout the decision and seek advice from others

1. You have been in a season of extreme busyness
2. You've been dealing with conflict in church or at home
3. Your spiritual life isn't as vibrant
4. You have or haven't been away from the pulpit for a while
5. You are neglecting good sermon preparation habits
6. You are not thinking enough of the congregation (preaching at them)

1. Still yourself
2. Fall in love with the Word of God
3. PRAY
4. Take a couple of weeks as a break
5. Develop your own sermon skills...examine another preacher's methods, read books...
6. Get input from your congregation
7. Remember you are the vessel, God is the One at work.

1. Plan your projects well in advance
   1. Have a well thought out list of things to do
   2. Have contacts ready
   3. Have supplies ready
2. Make sure you know about the team coming
   1. Know their leader and know that you can trust them
   2. Know their capabilities (Construction, evangelism, children etc.)
3. Communication is key
   1. Communicate about expectations for the church and for the mission team
   2. Communicate expectations
   3. Communicate about sleeping arrangements and meals
   4. Communicate about materials the mission team is expected to bring with them.
   5. Communicate with your church about the team coming and expect them to be involved.
4. Plan your calendar well
   1. 6 months out -
      1. make sure you have all your projects planned
      2. make sure you have approval from your church of costs and plans
   2. 3 months out -
      1. check with team and make sure their questions are answered.
   3. 1 month out -
      1. check with all local leaders to make sure things are in place.
   4. week of -
      1. Pep rally for your church to get them excited and remind them of the expectations
   5. afterwards -
      1. evaluate

1. Move past the human nature side of things...
   1. Know that without guidance the tendency is to swing from extreme to extreme
      1. pastors in the past 
         1. good pastors - what did they do
         2. not good pastors - what did they do
   2. Make preaching the last element you discover about the candidate
      1. The right person is more important than the right preacher
         1. character
         2. leadership
         3. theology
         4. family
         5. emotional intelligence
2. Use a well-stablished process, hopefully you've gotten training
   1. a clear job description
   2. a clear budget
   3. a clear list of qualities
      1. what are the non-negotiables
   4. know where to put out requests for resumes
      1. respond to everyone who sends you a direct resume
   5. Try to avoid going through resumes one at a time; set a date to go through them together
3. Communicate
   1. communicate with your church often
      1. have your church pray for you
   2. communicate with candidates as needed
   3. communicate written and unwritten expectations
   4. avoid bringing in multiple candidates to see "who you like best"
   5. find your one candidate and interview them
   6. Bring them in at the appropriate time

1. meet once a month and talk about how things are going
2. be the first line of defense for your pastor family

1. We need to be Holy Spirit powered and guided

2. On mission we are to witness of Jesus.   Missions can look like many things and have lots of different activities, but if there is no witnessing about Jesus - then it is not a God-honoring mission trip
3. We start local (Jerusalem)  - if you won't witness locally, then you won't on the other side of the world.  So your trip is just a vacation
4. Judea - look for opportunities in your state and region
5. Samaria - in our nation and to people that you might not ever feel comfortable around.  Everyone on earth is the subject of God's love!

6. Uttermost parts of the earth -

1. Connect with a good mission agency
2. Have a local contact person to work with
3. Make a trip there prior to taking a group - so you know what to expect and are able to prepare your group.
4. Be flexible
5. Know your purpose...work, evangelism, support...
6. Don't go with an agenda etched in stone - ask what the people there need.

Matt is the Pastor at Norwood Heights Baptist Church in Palestine, TX

The article: 5 Things you will experience as a pastor